Community Gardening

LEAF Community Garden Registration for NEW GARDENERS is scheduled for:March 1st at 9pm.

Returning gardeners should have received an email with a registration form. If you didn't email us: leafcommunity@gmail.com.

LEAF Community Gardens

LEAF Community Gardens

A History of Lakewood's First Community Gardens

In 2008, with enthusiastic support from then Mayor; Ed FitzGerald, the Lakewood Earth & Food (LEAF) Community broke ground at Cove, Kauffman, Madison, and Webb Parks expanding the total plots of LEAF to over 150 throughout the community.

The four new sites had been carefully chosen by LEAF board members, and approved by Mayor FitzGerald, in order to appeal to and give access the gardens to a wide array of community members. A fifth site North of The Westerly Apartments was added in 2010.

Each location has a varying number of 10' x 10' plots and leaves plenty of the park area intact for continued use of baseball diamonds and playground equipment at the sites. View a map with photos of each site.

Aside from providing apartment and condo dwellers with green space and room to garden, community gardens have been shown to raise nearby property values, lower crime rates in adjacent areas, and provide hours of enjoyment to those who work them. They provide physical activity, camaraderie with neighbors, stress relief, and have been shown to contribute to overall wellness. Gardening is a great platform for inter-generational bonding, provides a wholesome (and fun) activity for the whole family, teaches children where food comes from, and improves the nutrition of those who participate. Growing vegetables in community gardens can help offset rising food prices and bring the community together in the process.

In the past several years, LEAF gardeners have also taken part in the bartering system available at each LEAF Night throughout the season (all gardeners are welcome to participate) and in this manner have also contributed to the donations LEAF makes every week to local charities that help alleviate hunger in our community.

Mission

Lakewood Earth and Food Community is
dedicated to the development of a more sustainable, healthful and
economically viable community through environmentally responsible
actions producing broad access to fresh, local foods, knowledge and
culture.